Took a whack at polishing

[Vw Gti]

I polished my car about a week ago and i dont think i did it right. Here are some pictures

These were my steps

-Wash with Dishwashing soap twice ( i had Zaino before)

-AIO in some areas like roof, hood, door side

-Sonus SFX-1 on entire car (same areas as AIO too) and same pad :(

-then use Zaino



I probably should have went down a level on abrasiveness. I just bought SSR 1-3 and wonder if i should redo everything. I still have small scratches that did not get removed and few swirls.



http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/279/img85542lp.jpg

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/4410/img85550jc.jpg

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/1151/img85563dm.jpg

http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/4162/img85576cd.jpg

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/4927/img85585ya.jpg

http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/3187/img85593of.jpg

[imported_cj99si]

I thought your car was black? didnt you post a pic of your roof with water spots, it looked black anyway.

[Vw Gti]

It looked black because i had to close the garage and use the shadow on the car to see the water spots.

[imported_cj99si]

you should drop that thing.

[Vw Gti]

Gonna drop it....any help with the questions? SHould i do it over again and use PoorBoys and work my way down in levels? The car is dirty in the pictures.

[imported_cj99si]

It looked black because i had to close the garage and use the shadow on the car to see the water spots.



oh I see....

[imported_cj99si]

Gonna drop it....any help with the questions? SHould i do it over again and use PoorBoys and work my way down in levels? The car is dirty in the pictures.



If there are still scratches hit it with the ssr. Just move it slow over the really rough areas.

[Vw Gti]

The thing is I think the water spots are there to stay. I can see how deep it went into the clearcoat.

[imported_cj99si]

Do you know anyone with a rotary?

[Vw Gti]

No, i only have the PC 7336. :bawling:

[Accumulator]

VwGti- I would (and do) live with the waterspots. I know how to wetsand/use a rotary/etc., but I`d rather have nice thick clear with a few shallow spots from the etching than uniformly thinner clear.



For that matter, I`d just wait until the LSP needs redone before repolishing. Life is short and your car *does* look good now. I bet you`re the only person who sees the flaws. I know, more of "Accumulator`s Autopian Heresy" huh :o



You learned you need to use a more aggressive abrasive. You still did a lot of work and improved the look. Make it a gradual improvement. I`d spend some time researching what people with that paint have been successful with and just enjoy how it looks in the meantime. Maybe you could work on it one-panel-at-a-time after each wash, that way it won`t be a huge job and you`ll get some benefit out of its current coat of Zaino.

[lex89]

I gotta say Accumulator, your title of "Practical Perfectionist" really does fit. Props to you. I bet you save 100 cars a year from losing all their clear when you make posts like that :)

[imported_hadboosttroy]

you really should use a finishing polish after sfx-1, as sfx-1 is pretty abrasive and won`t leave the finish good enough (for me anyways). also, you should invest in more pads, because it is not good to mix products on the same pads (if you wash it in between that is also fine).



SWEET color on that car

[Vw Gti]

Okay. I will have to order another bottle of Z-2 since i already almost used the entire thing (dont ask why). I will try Poorboys SSR2.5 or 2 and use IPA wipedown since i read it has some fillers.



I have tried Sonus SFX-1 and it didnt do much on this clear and i have used Optimum Polish which didnt do much either. SHould i just go ahead and use SSR3?

[Accumulator]

I gotta say Accumulator, your title of "Practical Perfectionist" really does fit...



Thanks, lex89, I sincerely appreciate that :hifive: